While there is no dearth of regional specialties in India, Bengali cuisine is often deemed as paradise for meat lovers. Why, you ask? Well, most of their popular dishes are either meat-based or seafood delicacies, with a few exceptions of vegetarian delights like shukto and begun bhaja. Even during Durga Puja, while many people fast and abstain from non-vegetarian food, Bengalis relish all the meaty treats.
An ode to the mélange of flavours that encompass this rich and delicious fare, Chef Naresh Kotwal - Executive Chef at The GT Road in New Delhi - is the brains behind the ongoing Bengali food festival at the restaurant. The eatery is known for their lavish buffets and their idea is to bring the best of regional flavours at one place. This time around, Chef Naresh picked on some lip-smacking delicacies from Bengal and incorporated them into their menu.
The meal began with some meaty appetisers like mutton chop. These bite-sized, deep-fried balls were stuffed with minced meat and tasted heavenly when paired with mint-coriander chutney. Next up, we tried the steaming hot daab chingri. For the unversed, daab refers to coconut and chingri means prawns in Bengali. The creamy prawns are cooked inside a green coconut and served hot, straight out of it. The process of cooking the deveined prawns in a coconut, along with coconut milk, is what lends it the creamy texture and mildly sweet flavour.
Apart from meaty treats, if there is anything that Bengalis are known for, it has to be their mishtis or sweet meats. Not just rasgulla, there were a host of other authentic Bengali bites to end the meal on a sweet note. Nolen gurer rasgulla, payesh, kheer kadam, mishti doi, cham cham, sandesh, and much more were on offer at this elaborate Bengali feast that would leave one spoilt for choice.
Since Kosha Mangsho was one of our top picks from the delightful feast, we’ve fetched a recipe of the same so that you can try it at home.
Ingredients:
• 250 gm mutton, cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 cardamom pod
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• Salt, to taste
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup curd
• A few sprigs of chopped coriander leaves
Method:
• Heat mustard oil in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
• Then, add cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon along with onions, and sauté until the onions turn soft.
• Next, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell goes away.
• Add red chilli powder, salt and turmeric powder and mix well.
• Add the mutton pieces and stir well with the masalas.
• Next, add the curd and gently mix.
• Now, add 1 cup of water and close the lid. Pressure cook for 10 minutes or 4 whistles.
• Check whether the mutton is cooked and soft. If not, pressure cook for some more time.
• Remove the lid of the cooker and cook the gravy on a low flame while stirring for about 5 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and you get nice, thick gravy.
• Transfer the gravy to a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves and cumin seeds.
• Serve kosha mangsho with luchi or steamed rice.